Barry Sanders: The Best Halfback Ever

[fistofrage]

He was clearly the most elusive, but also the most frustrating to watch as a Detroit fan. He had a good average per carry, but if you broke it down it was -3,2,-4,1,2,1,1,-2,54,-2,3,16,-1,0,0,0,0,5,-1,4................

You'd get the long play home runs, but you couldn't sustain a drive with the guy and he couldn't get the tough yard when you needed it. And don't tell me about his shotty O-Line, he had 2 All_pros in Glover and Brown anchoring it. He also didn't come to camp on time or learn how to catch screen passes. He could have been deadly in the flats, but he never strived for that.

You could make a case that Marcus Allen was a better back than Barry. He's top 10, but not the greatest.

[billmatic]

He lost yardage 1 out of every 7 carries, not 1 out of 3.

Glover and Brown were around for 4 years before Barry came to town, but never made a pro bowl until he showed up, and they didn't do anything after him either. Not to mention the fact that Sanders had his best year after Lomas left town.

And please, Marcus Allen is nowhere near Barry's league.

[trobinson97]

Yeah Barry was the man, definitely the best I've ever seen. Man I remember going downtown and just staring at that mural on the side of the Cadillac building and I hate that they covered it up. Big blow when he retired, I just knew he was gonna break the record that year. At the same time, I wasn't mad about Detroit not trading him.

[Psyblast]

Quote: Originally Posted by trobinson97

Yeah Barry was the man, definitely the best I've ever seen. Man I remember going downtown and just staring at that mural on the side of the Cadillac building and I hate that they covered it up. Big blow when he retired, I just knew he was gonna break the record that year. At the same time, I wasn't mad about Detroit not trading him.

They didn't cover it up, they replaced it.

[McLite]

I watched all three play...Walter, Barry, and Emmitt. I'm sorry but in my opinion he's 3rd on that list with Walter being #1.

People love Barry because of all the spin movies and jukes. He was the best pure runner of the three but I don't think he was the best complete back.

Emmitt is downplayed because he was a Cowboy...pure and simple. The guy had rushing TD seasons of 25, 21, 18, 13, 12, 12, etc. He was so consistent for so long. Barry's highest was 14 TD's, his rookie year. The year he ran for over 2000+ yards he had only 11 TD's.

When it comes to heart how can you choose anyone but Walter. The guy was an absolute beast running, blocking, and he caught a lot of passes out of the backfield. Emmitt plays a crucial game with a separated shoulder where he almost single handily carries his team to victory. Take him off those teams even with all the stars and they Cowboy's don't win 3 Super Bowls.

Barry retires by sending a letter to his hometown newspaper. Guy never seemed like a team player to me.

[trobinson97]

Quote: Originally Posted by Psyblast

They didn't cover it up, they replaced it.

Same thing man. They can't very well have replaced it without covering up what was there now could they?

[Psyblast]

Quote: Originally Posted by trobinson97

Same thing man. They can't very well have replaced it without covering up what was there now could they?

They replaced it with someone who was much more deserving.

[stiffarmleft]

To me he's the greatest running back ever, I have yet to see anyone that could duplicate his agility, balance and vision. One of my best memories was when he ran all over the cowboys on a Monday night game.